skinnyrita

The Biggest Loser show is certainly full of misguided and erroneous weight loss techniques. It is scripted and staged as carefully as any CSI so if you think it's about people on a weight loss journey, it isn't real. The expectations of losing 6- 9 lbs in a week by the trainer are just ludicrous! In what universe is that sustainable ??!? Or healthy? It's interesting in that it highlights our culture's insanity when it comes to losing weight. I see it on this forum all the time in the form of questions " I only lost 20 lbs in 6 weeks am I doing something wrong?"

This is so funny DUB! Ketone breath will bring a 5 yard penalty ( your friends and dogs will stay 5 yards away from you) and possible fines , so keep it fresh!

I admit it, I watched this show and was laughing hysterically at the "clean momma" diet " expert. If it wasn't affecting the lives of people participating and of those watching, it would be pure comedy for me. I'm so grateful to be on an eating plan and not some silly calories in- calories out diet. And the sleeve helps me be more aware of how much I'm eating. As a mental health professional, I do feel compassion for Oprah, because of her past of being sexually abused. I truly believe that so many women and men who experienced SA have weight issues that never get resolved unless they receive treatment. Treatment can be traumatic too, so you can understand why many survivors would opt to " let the past be the past" but there's a cost involved in doing that as well. Weight loss and fat are such complex problems- I see why success eluded me for so long. If I had been able to stick to an eating and exercise plan, I probably could have lost weight and kept it off. It's such a money industry and so many scams, it's no wonder that people rack up a lifetime of trying different diets and yo-yoing until their health is ruined. That was how it was for me. Fortunately the sleeve has given me a do over. Now if I could just beat my new shopping addiction...

Ketone breath is not pretty????but don't despair. It means you're burning fat and losing weight! I carry mini altoids around the office and have a toothbrush an mouthwash in my file cabinet.

I haven't ventured out to fast food places yet, as I'm only 9 months post op, still a few pounds from my goal. We did get stuck in a small town on Thanksgiving night without dinner plans so we ordered a junior whataburger which I ate without the bun ( it was so gross- tasting that I haven't really been remotely interested in fast food since).There are a couple of restaurants that we go to for breakfast, and normally I would have eggs Benedict, but I now ask them to leave the English muffin off ( you should see the looks I get) and serve on tomato slices. I can usually eat only one of the eggs. My new " fast food" place is the whole foods deli or their hot soup / entree bar. It's pretty harmless I get protein and small amount of steamed or roasted veggie????

Weekdays i have a premier protein shake blended with about 1/4 cup berries and banana slices with a Tbls organic almond butter. Weekends I splurge and have 1 fried egg or scrambled eggs with bacon. I find my energy level tends to be better with the shakes. I'm still a few pounds away from my goal, so I'm being careful to stick with my eating plan. To that end breakfast is not a big deal to me-although I did have French toast on Christmas Eve ????

Congratulations on your NSV. We had a little retreat to the Dallas Arboretum a couple of weeks ago to see the 12 days of Christmas exhibit. Until I read your post, I didn't realize how easy it was walking around for 2 hours without a break! Like you, I would've huffed and puffed and needed to stop several times before the weight loss. Now I could do that again.

I've had neck to knees liposuction a few years back and the recovery was quite painful. I guess it depends on your pain tolerance and how quickly you heal. I wouldn't do that again, but the results were great. Just that the weight loss/ body sculpting didn't last because I returned to poor eating choices. Be sure your surgeons reputation and history are squeaky clean before you go under the knife.

No words could have said it so eloquently Cindy. Prayers for your emotional healing in this time of loss.

What a win you've had! Not only have you successfully lost weight but you've added healthy years to your life! Congratulations????

The focus of 2016 for me will continue to be centered on my health and weight loss journey. I plan to reach my goal weight by my birthday in March, but even if I don't I will continue my eating plan. I'm a bit of a foodie and love good food and wine but now realize that alcohol may need to drop off the menu along with the recreation of trying out new restaurants. My husband wanted to take me out for a big New Year's Eve dinner at a highly acclaimed restaurant, but when I saw the menu I realized I would be overeating ( several courses were being served) and over drinking. I didn't want to feel the regret of going off my plan and trying to eat all that food or the sting of him paying for food / wine I can't eat / drink. We opted for a fun evening with friends and I was able to take a few healthy appetizers for their buffet. Their celebration was alcohol- free. Surprisingly, neither one of us felt deprived and we had a great time. Even though this is sort of unrelated, I have been the recipient of some of my mom's estate - antiques and household items. Although I really love her, I'm not an antique kind of person contemporary and minimalist is more my style. The realization came that all stuff has been in my garage and storage for about 5 years, cluttering my space with its physical and emotional weight and costing extra money to store. My resolution is to find a way to let go of her things ( keeping the great memories of course) and lose the burden that having it entails. Having surgery has helped me to become lighter in so many ways that I cannot imagine the act of divesting myself of all the stuff I've been holding onto will not further enhance my journey going forward. So many things about having VSG have come as a surprise. I'm looking forward to more NSVs, optimizing my health and helping my hubby as he begins to lose weight too. Looks like we're off to a good start????????????????Happy New Year and wishes for your success to all my Bariatric Pals!

Now that I'm getting close to my weight loss goal, I'm starting to realize that I need to think and strategize for the " maintenance" Phase of weight loss. What and how are my fellow VSG and RNY recipients doing or planning to do to keep focused on eating right and exercising after reaching your goal? Please share any tips, tricks or words of wisdom!

I have seen a couple of co workers and clients who had a Huge reaction to my 70 + lb weight loss. I am always surprised by this as my head hasn't quite caught up with my loss. My sister, who I think is quite critical of me privately, always asks for numbers and pictures ( because she doesn't believe how quickly the progress happened), but seeing is believing. She's coming over for Christmas Eve and I haven't seen her since August, so it could be an interesting encounter with the additional weight loss. The people who are not relatives are usually very complimentary in noticing my weight loss, but family can be challenging. I just plan to stick with my eating and exercising plan, and I am hoping that I meet my goal within a year. Even if I don't, this is simply the best decision I have made and it has literally changed my life for the better. Let the haters hate. I will still be happy with my decision to have VSG⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️

Gear up for your journey. Begin the health habits now that will take you to successful completion of your goal! Great place to start is getting your knowledge up to speed. This is a good team to help with your questions. Best wishes on your surgery and beyond????

Way to go ISG! Living the dream!

Water exercise without a doubt is a great way to begin. I have knee and joint issues too, so I started doing a 30 minute low impact water aerobics and worked up to an hour. I'm now in a water Yoga class which is soooo challenging! It's like doing Pilates, which is great for your core. It helps give you energy which is a great bonus. At first I was self conscious but once I realized everyone was there to get healthy I got over it. Any exercise that you like and will actually do is the right one. ????

We just bought a house with a pool, right before my surgery, so as soon as the doctor cleared me I worked out every day up until late October when it got too cool to swim. The hospital where I work owns a health club, so I joined in December. I'm doing Aqua yoga and a Water boot camp and loving it! Biggest challenge is going straight from work across the street to the gym, but once I'm there I truly forget about everything else except doing the yoga poses. I'm sore today after last night's class- who knew yoga could be such a challenging workout! After years of not exercising, the really crazy part is how motivated I am and how good exercising makes me feel physically????????????????.

Fortunately, my husband is supportive of the changes I've made in my diet which are reflected in the foods that stock my kitchen. Junk food is replaced with healthy protein - based snacks and shakes. If we do splurge it's usually when eating out where we can split something and no leftovers are brought home. I haven't been hungry for the " trigger" foods but why take the chance? I get plenty of chances to exercise discipline at work where the cookies and doughnuts show up this time of year???? I don't think of this lifestyle as a diet anymore, since diets have a beginning and an end , usually accompanied by weight gain. I'm trying for sustained change in food preferences and in making exercise a part of my daily life.

I never realized how many compromises I made in order to accommodate my weight and how much being overweight robbed me of health, relationships, and enjoyment of life. Just met an old friend who hadn't seen me in 6 months for a shopping trip. She was so surprised to see me almost 70 lbs lighter ( I didn't tell people about the surgery at first). And I was shocked to find that I could keep up with her now, ( she's like the energizer bunny) without having to sit down and rest! We split lunch and I stopped eating halfway thru because I was full. Before I would've eaten an entree and dessert. She noticed the difference. I let that happen to myself through having a wrong relationship with food. Now, my appetite is more in balance and it doesn't rule my life. And I found out I love to exercise! Couldn't even think about it before without a shudder but now it makes me feel energized and it is sculpting my body to a much leaner appearance.

Awesome work! You are a WLS hero!!

This will be the first real test of my resolve to continue on a sane eating program during the holidays. There are at least 2-3 office Christmas parties coming up and then there are family dinners. Anyone have ideas or advice on getting thru this without totally blowing my program? Especially you veterans, how do you manage this time of year? Thanks in advance and Happy Holidays to all my Bariatric peeps????????????????????????????????????????????

Julie, thanks for your post. That is good strategic advice to stay away from the temptations as much as possible. I will try to make sure I step away, especially at dessert time! I am sorry to hear of your losses this year. Going through the holidays can be difficult when you are in the midst of grieving. I pray for comfort for you and your family.

My process was to consult with the surgeon, do a psych evaluation to rule out eating disorders, then had a sleep study because that would have to be addressed before doing surgery ( I didn't have one). I had to meet with a nutritionist 4 times to satisfy the insurance requirements. My insurance denied me in December 2014 ( I was already scheduled for VSG and they canceled). My surgeon went to bat for me based on my uncontrolled high blood pressure, and she was successful at getting approved! Finally had VSG in May of 2015. Hope your approval happens faster than mine, but it's worth the wait????

Sweet potato recipe- wash it and stab it several times with a knife or fork. Place it in your microwave for about 6-8 minutes on high. If it yields easily to pressure with your thumb ( be sure and wear a mitt because it's really hot) then it's done. I always wrap mine in aluminum foil and let it finish cooking about 5 minutes. Split it in half and mash. I usually dot it with a bit of butter and fresh chives but you can definitely eat it without that. So yummy! They are usually way too big, so be aware of portion size????